West New York to dedicate street to mayor's father

Dr. Jose R. Roque, father of West New York mayor Felix Roque and the first Cuban-American physician in New Jersey, seen here in the 1960s.Office of Mayor Felix Roque

The corner of Palisade Avenue and 60th Street in West New York will renamed in tribute to the mayor's father, who is being hailed as a pioneering physician.

The dedication of Dr. Jose R. Roque Way will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 28.

The elder Roque, 92, who now lives in Union City, emigrated to West New York from Cuba in 1967, the mayor said.

Jose R. Roque fled the Communist government to pursue a better life for his family, and wanted to help out poor immigrants who otherwise might not be able to get adequate medical care, the mayor said.

"The word I would use to describe my father is perseverance," the younger Roque said. "In Cuba my father was forced to labor cutting sugarcane on Sundays, and on Mondays he'd go into surgery and operate with bandages on his hands from the blisters. When I asked him why he put up with all of this, he said 'I have to keep working, and it will only be a matter of time before we will be able to be free in the United States.' "

Mayor Roque said his father was the first Cuban-American physician to be licensed in the state of New Jersey and recalled him making house calls in the dead of winter at 2 or 3 in the morning, often for free for families who couldn't afford to pay.

"He is an inspiration to the whole medical profession. He inspired my brothers, my sister, and I to become doctors and he has always supported other doctors in the area."

The corner that will bear Dr. Roque's name is near the office where he practiced when he first came to West New York, the mayor said.